Tips on writing melodies
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- KVRer
- 15 posts since 18 Dec, 2015
Hey all so I'm just wondering if there's any tips for writing better melodies, I know I should stay on scale but I've been told bar 3 should revert to a note that the chord is apart of ? Is that true?
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- KVRian
- 702 posts since 19 Mar, 2014 from Denver, CO
try reading something or saying something - you don't talk in a monotone, same pitched voice for the duration of a sentence. You have different time for syllables, different pitches, etc.
I have no idea what you're saying about bar 3. Your melodies should always be notes that are part of the chord. But, your melody sits on top of the chords to produce what is essentially the final "chord." Even if that final chord reaches out of the scale of the musical key the song is in - which is in itself fine. So your "chord" may be CMaj (C, E, and G) and your melody has a Bb and a while the CMaj chord is playing. You essentially have a C7 chord of all your musical tones: C, E, and G as part of the chord with the b7 (Bb) being the minor 7th of the chord - making it a dominant chord. At some point, you change to a C6 when you play the A along with the C, E, and G.
I have no idea what you're saying about bar 3. Your melodies should always be notes that are part of the chord. But, your melody sits on top of the chords to produce what is essentially the final "chord." Even if that final chord reaches out of the scale of the musical key the song is in - which is in itself fine. So your "chord" may be CMaj (C, E, and G) and your melody has a Bb and a while the CMaj chord is playing. You essentially have a C7 chord of all your musical tones: C, E, and G as part of the chord with the b7 (Bb) being the minor 7th of the chord - making it a dominant chord. At some point, you change to a C6 when you play the A along with the C, E, and G.
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- KVRAF
- 6272 posts since 25 Mar, 2004
Notes should generally be within the scale of the root chord. Where they aren't, it's okay as long as they resolve back to one.
Also, people tend to leave out rhythmic cadence when talking about melodies. Make sure you're in sync with your time signature. Also, if you're writing a melody for lyrics, make sure that the natural cadence of each word is properly represented.
-B
Also, people tend to leave out rhythmic cadence when talking about melodies. Make sure you're in sync with your time signature. Also, if you're writing a melody for lyrics, make sure that the natural cadence of each word is properly represented.
-B
Berfab
So many plugins, so little time...
So many plugins, so little time...
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- KVRian
- 702 posts since 19 Mar, 2014 from Denver, CO
I may not have communicated it well, but I'll stand by my statement. If you're playing a C Major chord and your main melody notes are Bb and A your essentially playing a combination of more advanced chords: C7 and C6. And in that scenario, yes your melody notes are part of those advanced chords. The melodic notes don't have to correspond to the C major chord notes that you're playing however.jancivil wrote:No.ImNotDedYet wrote:Your melodies should always be notes that are part of the chord.
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- KVRAF
- 6388 posts since 8 Jun, 2009
Still no.
If this were about bass lines and chords, then yes, there is an argument for extending the chord to encompass the bass note even if it's just a slash chord. But for melodies? It's just making life complicated for no reason. And it works against the idea of using the tension between melody and the underlying chord.
Take the opening of Springsteen's Brilliant Disguise as an example. I've picked it because one could argue that its use of Asus2->A->Asus4 is an example of what you're describing...and it might be, except that the vocal line keeps moving to C# while the Asus2 chord is playing.
If this were about bass lines and chords, then yes, there is an argument for extending the chord to encompass the bass note even if it's just a slash chord. But for melodies? It's just making life complicated for no reason. And it works against the idea of using the tension between melody and the underlying chord.
Take the opening of Springsteen's Brilliant Disguise as an example. I've picked it because one could argue that its use of Asus2->A->Asus4 is an example of what you're describing...and it might be, except that the vocal line keeps moving to C# while the Asus2 chord is playing.
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- KVRAF
- 5710 posts since 24 May, 2004 from []1
Sounds like weird rule. Never heard of it. Who told you that? Need more information than what you've stated.EliteRezk wrote:Hey all so I'm just wondering if there's any tips for writing better melodies, I know I should stay on scale but I've been told bar 3 should revert to a note that the chord is apart of ? Is that true?
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- KVRAF
- 6388 posts since 8 Jun, 2009
I keep looking at it and wondering. My guess is that it's something about call-and-response over four bars that's been through several levels of filtering. If the call starts on a chord note, it would probably make sense to have the response begin with a note from to the chord. But, somehow, this has been baked into an if-then rule.Musical Gym wrote:Sounds like weird rule. Never heard of it. Who told you that? Need more information than what you've stated.
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 15 posts since 18 Dec, 2015
Hey all thanks for the great replies, Im sure ill nail far better melodies and progressions when ive doing this for longer, ive only been doing it for about 3/4 months, as for that "Rule" Someone told me it on a other internet forum, but i was just curious honestly.
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- KVRAF
- 26033 posts since 20 Oct, 2007 from gonesville
You've presented two statements, these are not the same statement. Playing a Bb whilst a C major triad is sounding is not a statement about "melodies should do _" really at all. The original statement does not make a truism even remotely. Not gonna, but one could demonstrate this all day long with examples in any and every music that's been since people started talking about chords (and there is a point before which people talked about chords, just as there is music that does not trade in chords at all).ImNotDedYet wrote:I may not have communicated it well, but I'll stand by my statement. If you're playing a C Major chord and your main melody notes are Bb and A your essentially playing a combination of more advanced chords: C7 and C6. And in that scenario, yes your melody notes are part of those advanced chords.jancivil wrote:No.ImNotDedYet wrote:Your melodies should always be notes that are part of the chord.
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- Banned
- 1779 posts since 26 Aug, 2012
Yeah, here's a tip. Use the pentatonic scale, play within that then add the 'sexy' notes...the b5s, b2nds, b6ths etc when you want a bit of spice. That's what most lead guitarists do.
Also dont make it complicated. You're dealing with music here and you can pretty much make your own rules to suit.
Also dont make it complicated. You're dealing with music here and you can pretty much make your own rules to suit.
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- KVRian
- 804 posts since 18 Apr, 2011
virtually every time I read someone posting about music theory "rules" they are just severely limiting themselves.
If you don't want to seriously study music theory, which entails a lot of memorization of terminology, undertanding of concepts, and analysis of scores.. then do yourself a favor and don't worry about it.
Instead....
Develop your ear. Listen to a lot of harmonically rich music and try singing along with the different parts. You will internalize it. then you will naturally have ideas that would take a lot of study to really understand.
Saying you "have to stay in the scale" is just a great way to make your music very lame sounding.
If you don't want to seriously study music theory, which entails a lot of memorization of terminology, undertanding of concepts, and analysis of scores.. then do yourself a favor and don't worry about it.
Instead....
Develop your ear. Listen to a lot of harmonically rich music and try singing along with the different parts. You will internalize it. then you will naturally have ideas that would take a lot of study to really understand.
Saying you "have to stay in the scale" is just a great way to make your music very lame sounding.
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- Banned
- 1779 posts since 26 Aug, 2012
Cause people instinctively complicate things. Just watch any soap opera, the plot often revolves around how complicated they're making their lives rather than an actual story.stillshaded wrote:virtually every time I read someone posting about music theory "rules" they are just severely limiting themselves.
If you don't want to seriously study music theory, which entails a lot of memorization of terminology, undertanding of concepts, and analysis of scores.. then do yourself a favor and don't worry about it.
Instead....
Develop your ear. Listen to a lot of harmonically rich music and try singing along with the different parts. You will internalize it. then you will naturally have ideas that would take a lot of study to really understand.
Saying you "have to stay in the scale" is just a great way to make your music very lame sounding.
Nike (pre-Sharapova) said it best...Just do it!
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- KVRist
- 442 posts since 21 May, 2014
I dont like the term "writing" because it implies the writing process, which as completely un musical...
WRITING=
sitting hunched over at desk and twiddling away with your single writing hand, and no noise comes forth from the words as they are written
........................
melody CREATION....otoh
=
multiple limbs, your vocal chords, ears, and skillful movement
WRITING=
sitting hunched over at desk and twiddling away with your single writing hand, and no noise comes forth from the words as they are written
........................
melody CREATION....otoh
=
multiple limbs, your vocal chords, ears, and skillful movement
Sincerely,
Zethus, twin son of Zeus
Zethus, twin son of Zeus
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- Banned
- 12367 posts since 30 Apr, 2002 from i might peeramid
i've spent some time approaching this task procedurally,
time.
time is the best tip for writing melodies.
give it time, if it resonates, and repeats, and over time, develops, instead of diminishing.
it was just yesterday
or maybe the day before
that i finally differentiated that one of the notes in the closing phrase of a verse of a melody i have considered for a quarter century works effectively if differing by a semitone in the second instance of the verse. this adds some depth of sentiment to the phrasing. i noticed before in renderings, i had used either or for both verses. it simply was a matter of taking that much time for me to solidify this item.
and i think, that kind of discretisation is encouraged by divers factors occuring over duration.
i find walking or bicycling, being rhythmic, with heart rate, tend to encourage intensive ruminative states for phrasing.
time.
time is the best tip for writing melodies.
give it time, if it resonates, and repeats, and over time, develops, instead of diminishing.
it was just yesterday
or maybe the day before
that i finally differentiated that one of the notes in the closing phrase of a verse of a melody i have considered for a quarter century works effectively if differing by a semitone in the second instance of the verse. this adds some depth of sentiment to the phrasing. i noticed before in renderings, i had used either or for both verses. it simply was a matter of taking that much time for me to solidify this item.
and i think, that kind of discretisation is encouraged by divers factors occuring over duration.
i find walking or bicycling, being rhythmic, with heart rate, tend to encourage intensive ruminative states for phrasing.
you come and go, you come and go. amitabha neither a follower nor a leader be tagore "where roads are made i lose my way" where there is certainty, consideration is absent.